


A Tale of Two...?

by cassunzxl



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Hero/Villain, Hurt/Comfort, idk how tags work, rivals to friends to enemies to lovers??? just a thought, romance only ensues afterwards im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:47:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26332144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassunzxl/pseuds/cassunzxl
Summary: Cassandra seeks help from Rapunzel in an act of desperation.
Relationships: Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 70





	A Tale of Two...?

**Author's Note:**

> hi!! i saw this [tweet](https://twitter.com/proyearner/status/1302019124546146309?s=20) the other day about the prompt "imagine the villain shows up at the hero’s door, looking bloody & disheveled, clutching their side & having just enough strength to say ‘i didnt know where else to go’ before collapsing in the hero’s arms" and couldn't stop thinking about cassunzel. the brainrot was too strong and i had to write it
> 
> this is my first completed fic so the writing's probably not that good. i'd appreciate any kind of feedback!
> 
> this is not supposed to be canon complicit. it's been a while since i've watched tts and i don't remember specific rules on how the magic works. i just wanted to write a one-shot based on the trope for fun. the scene roughly takes place after cassandra's realisation with the mirror and mother gothel in once a handmaiden (s3).
> 
> p.s. i'm aware of how bad the title is,,, unfortunately i'm not creative with names

Cassandra summoned her last bit of strength and raised herself to the top of the tower, elevated by the black rocks. She knew exactly where Rapunzel’s balcony was, despite her surroundings being pitch black. Aiming straight for it, she groaned as she collapsed by the railing, even weaker than she was before. She didn’t know what she was doing here, really, she was getting quite delirious from the pain. A wave of nausea hit her, and she gasped for breath. Once the dizziness passed, she managed to push herself up with one hand, clutching her injured rib with the other and stumbled towards Rapunzel’s window. 

Knock. No response. It was the middle of the night, after all. She swayed slightly.

Knock. Louder this time. She saw a shadow shuffle in the darkness. Her eyes started to glaze over. 

Knock. Desperate. Third time’s a charm? 

The window burst open, and there was Rapunzel, fully alert and armed with a frying pan, of course. 

“Who’s there?” Rapunzel started, before noticing the faint blue glow of the moonstone at the ledge of her window. “…Cass? What are you-“

“Zhan T- Tiri-“ she spluttered weakly. “I- I didn’t know where else to go, I’m s-“ Before she could finish, her legs gave way and she promptly collapsed. 

Rapunzel was in shock, but her reflexes somehow managed to react in time and she caught Cassandra by her head before it hit the ground. She stared at her limp form, trying to process what happened. _Shit_. 

She dragged Cassandra into her room and quickly closed the windows. If a royal guard on duty saw her anywhere near Corona she would be arrested immediately for sure, and Rapunzel didn’t want that. Carefully, she carried the blue haired girl to her nearest sofa. She wasn’t sure if there was blood that would get everywhere on her carpets and linings, but that was the least of her worries. 

Her hair faintly lit up the room, and she could now see the damage for the first time. There were cuts on Cassandra's face, and her moon outfit was stained dark red, by blood, presumably. There was an especially large patch of red around her rib area, and Rapunzel winced when she saw it. “Cass, what happened to you…” she whispered, and her heart ached. After their last encounter with each other, Rapunzel had found it much harder to give Cassandra the benefit of the doubt. She had discarded the option of reconciliation, although it had been a hard decision. She was firm that to protect her kingdom, she had to defeat her. Now, gazing wearily at Cassandra’s broken form, she wasn’t so sure. Looking closely, she realised she had gotten a lot skinnier, as she wasn’t able to tell from their brief, violent encounters from before. Her face was also white as a sheet, much paler than how the moonstone should have been affecting her.

Seeing her deep, bloody cuts on her cheek jolted Rapunzel back into reality. Cassandra remained as still as a rag doll on her sofa, barely breathing at all. She had to heal her, and fast. She gathered up her hair, draping it across Cassandra and muttered the healing incantation:

_"Flower, gleam and glow_

_Let your power shine_

_Make the clock reverse_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_Heal what has been hurt_

_Change the Fates' design_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once was mine."_

There was a faint glow around Cassandra as the incantation worked its magic. But there was nothing. She wasn’t waking up. Rapunzel looked desperately at her hair, and then at Cass. _No no no, this has to work. Please._ It had worked with Eugene, there was no reason for her magic to fail her now. There was something wrong. 

_The moonstone_ , she thought. _It must be rejecting the sundrop’s magic_. She could feel her life force slipping away. She gravely clutched at Cassandra's cheek and ran her thumb across her cheekbone. “Stay with me Cass, I can’t lose you again.” She attempted to lightly shake her, but she remained limp. Rapunzel hopelessly watched as the moonstone on her suit dimmed, and faded to black. 

Rapunzel looked down in despair. “No…” she croaked. She had failed. She had failed her best friend. No matter what happened between them, she still had love for Cassandra, whether Cass herself realised it or not. This sparked something inside of her. “I’m not giving up on you.”

At this moment, a loud gasp came from the form on the sofa. Rapunzel’s head snapped up. Cassandra quickly pushed herself into a sitting position, alarmed, before her arms gave way and she fell onto her back. “Woah, woah, easy!” Rapunzel said. “You’re awake! But how-?“ she considered for a second. “The sundrop! There must have been residue magic in your body after the moonstone faded, and it managed to heal you after you-” her voice broke, and she paused. "Oh Cass!” Overwhelmed with emotion, she moved to hug her, but held herself back just in time, remembering that they were supposed to be enemies, no matter how much she wished that wasn’t the case.

“Raps! How did I end up…?” Cassandra winced as speaking hurt. She tried to hide it, she was in the enemy’s room after all. She shouldn’t be showing weakness. She was supposed to feel scorn and hatred towards the princess, but all she felt was emptiness. 

“You knocked on my window…” Rapunzel managed as she slowly helped her sit up. "I- I had to help you. You were on the brink of death. You mentioned something about Zhan Tiri-"

It was at this moment when Cassandra remembered. She could hear Gothel’s voice of annoyance in the mirror. “Lousy little pest…” She could hear Zhan Tiri’s shrill laughter echoing through the tower. “We’re not so different, you and I. And now, I have no use for you anymore.” She remembered the exact moment when Zhan Tiri took control of the black rocks, pushing her towards the tower's edge. She remembered being thrown off, with the demon grinning down at her mercilessly as she grabbed at air. She had no idea how she managed to survive the fall, something must have caught her. She recalled, in her desperation for survival, thinking of one name: _Rapunzel_. She remembered stumbling through the forest, barely conscious, and transporting herself past the Corona walls and onto Rapunzel’s balcony with the last ounce of her strength. She remembered seeing Rapunzel’s startled expression, before everything went black. 

Cassandra looked stunned as all her memories came crashing down on her. “She lied to me… she lied to me about everything,” she said quietly.

Rapunzel could only sit and watch as her former best friend stared blankly in front of her. It pained her to see Cassandra in so much agony. She had never seen her like this before. A twinge of guilt itched inside of her. She could have saved her, before any of this had happened. She could have prevented all of this if it weren't for her neglect. _Your fault, your fault, your fault_. What kind of a ‘friend’ was she if she couldn’t even care enough to protect her? Why did she leave her alone when she felt unwanted? _No, I need to focus on Cass right now_ , she thought, and pushed all her feelings aside. 

“Cass… It’s okay now. I’m here.” Rapunzel said as she carefully laid a hand onto Cassandra’s lap. She felt her former best friend twitch as their skin touched.

“I…” Cassandra’s bottom lip trembled. “I’m so sorry Raps, for everything. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I-“ Her words broke into ugly, silent sobs and she held her head in her hands.

“It’s okay now.” Rapunzel felt tears welling up in her eyes, too. She didn’t know what else to say, but she knew, somehow, that being here for Cass was enough. “Come here…” she sat herself on the sofa beside her and carefully wrapped her arms around Cassandra’s side in an awkward hug. Cassandra tensed up with uncertainty at first, but then buried her head into her friend's shoulders. Warmth. 

Rapunzel could feel the wet patch growing on her shoulder. She didn’t mind. She was surprised that she had trusted her so quickly. They had put aside their past faults so dangerously easy, but at least they had each other now. Healing and forgiveness could come later. 

They eventually relaxed into each other's arms, with Cassandra still crying and Rapunzel holding her gently. They remained that way for maybe an hour.

As Cassandra’s sobs slowed and turned into low hiccups, Rapunzel broke the silence.

“You need rest after all your injuries, my magic doesn’t heal everything right away.” Rapunzel said softly, pulling away from Cassandra while holding her tenderly by her shoulders. She looked into her blue eyes. “I… I’ll be here in the morning, okay?” she added after some hesitation. “I promise."

Cassandra managed a light nod. Rapunzel was right, her wounds were still aching from all that crying and she felt like she was about to pass out again. She sighed as she laid her head on a pillow and fell asleep immediately. Rapunzel smiled lightly and moved towards her bed. But she couldn’t. She looked back at Cassandra sleeping peacefully on the sofa. 

_When I promise something, I never, ever break that promise._

She decided to watch Cassandra throughout the night by the table next to where she was sleeping. _For protection. I’ll never leave you again, ever,_ she thought. She eventually dozed off from exhaustion at the crack of dawn, arms folded, head against her chest. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! :) <3


End file.
